The 2009 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Tissue Repair and Regeneration will be held from June 14-19, 2009 at Colby Sawyer College, New London, New Hampshire. The conference follows nine successful Gordon Conferences in the field of tissue repair and regeneration which have been held biennially since 1993. The conference addresses the critical public health problem of inadequate and inappropriate wound healing, a problem which is estimated to affect more than 2 million persons in the US annually. The conference is also concerned with tissue regeneration, an emerging field that has enormous potential to improve outcomes for patients who suffer substantial tissue damage due to trauma or disease. The program highlights the commonality of repair processes among different tissues and also considers the influence of disease on healing. The program emphasizes emerging therapeutics and bioengineering approaches that might improve repair and facilitate regeneration. The conference will emphasize new concepts in the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie repair and regeneration, and will explore links between wound repair, tissue regeneration, and development. Nine sessions are planned which include 1) Systems Biology Approaches, 2) Stressors of the Healing Response, 3) Regeneration, 4) Inflammation, 5) Epithelium and Proliferation, 6) Stem Cells, 7) Bioengineering and Therapeutics, 8) Fibrosis and Scar Formation, and 9) Genetic Regulation of Repair/Regeneration. The combination of speakers and topics has been selected to stimulate ideas and collaborations in the field of tissue repair and regeneration. The session speakers will emphasize novel unpublished results directly related to repair and regeneration and represent a wide range of disciplines. Each session will be chaired by a discussant investigator renowned for excellent work on the mechanisms of repair and regeneration. To provide young investigators with a forum in which to present and discuss their findings in a supportive environment, up to 12 additional speakers will be selected from submitted abstracts;four poster sessions will also be held. Participation by young scientists and underrepresented minorities will be encouraged, and scholarships to support their involvement will be offered. Throughout the conference, interaction among senior and young investigators will be promoted in both formal and informal settings, including hosted round tables at meal times. Support of this program will assure that the meeting will include top-level scientists, and will provide much needed sponsorship for outstanding young scientists who wish to attend the meeting. Overall, such support will greatly enhance the quality of the program and the educational opportunities provided by the meeting. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This conference addresses the critical public health problem of inadequate tissue repair and insufficient tissue regeneration. The inability to fully reconstitute tissue is a widespread problem that is seen in both acute and chronic wounds as well as following malignancy and infection. This conference is relevant to the development of therapeutics aimed at improved healing and tissue regeneration, an emerging field that has enormous potential to improve outcomes for the millions of patients who suffer substantial tissue damage due to trauma or disease.